Pitt Set For Doubleheader against Marshall

PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh softball team will host Marshall for a non-conference doubleheader Saturday at Vartabedian Field in the Petersen Sports Complex.

THE SCHEDULE

The Panthers [26-16-1, 14-6 ACC] and Herd [23-25-1, 11-9-1 C-USA] will play game one of their doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. Saturday with game two scheduled to begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Both games will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra through WatchESPN.
- Game One
- Game Two
Live stats will be available for all games.
Fans can also follow @Pitt_SB on Twitter for live in-game updates.

LAST TIME OUT

Pitt earned its first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) sweep and sixth ACC series win of the season after taking three games against Virginia.
The Panthers earned a 9-2 victory in game one and recorded a 3-2 walkoff win in game two before routing the Cavaliers in game three via a 12-1 five inning run-rule victory.
Junior Sarah Dawson collected two wins in the series after giving up nine hits and two runs while striking out three in nine innings on the mound.
Senior Kayla Harris earned the Panthers' other win in the series while allowing 10 hits and three runs after tossing 10 innings in two appearances on the rubber.
At the plate, junior Olivia Gray led Pitt's offense with a 5-for-10 showing through three games, while adding a home run, two doubles and 5 RBIs. Freshman Hunter Levesque also went .500 in the box, posting a 4-for-8 showing while adding a triple and three RBIs. Senior Giorgiana Zeremenko added a 3-for-7 effort at the plate while contributing a home run and three RBIs.

THE SERIES

Pitt and Marshall have met just twice in program history, with the teams splitting their previous two matchups.
Both contests came in the 2004 season, with the Panthers earning a 2-0 victory in their first meeting before dropping game two, 5-4.

SCOUTING MARSHALL

Marshall owns a 23-25-1 overall record with an 11-9-1 mark in Conference USA play.
Most recently, the Herd fell to Ohio, 10-2, in six innings of play.
Junior Abigail Tolbert, who owns a 12-10 record and 3.08 ERA in 35 appearances, leads Marshall on the mound. Sophomore Kailee Williamson also sports a 3.65 ERA to go along with 60 strikeouts in 94 innings on the rubber.
At the plate, the Herd have three regulars batting over .300 on the season. Freshman Aly Harrell leads the team with a .368 batting average, while also collecting a team-high 10 home runs and 39 RBIs. Senior Jordan Colliflower ranks second on the team with a .352 average to go along with nine RBIs and 18 runs. Senior Elicia D'Orazio rounds out the trio with a .350 average, while also sporting a team leading 42 stolen bases on the season.

DOUBLE OR NOTHING

Pitt's defense ranks first in the ACC with 0.72 double plays per game, good for third overall in the nation. The Panthers have turned 31 double plays this season.

GOING YARD

With 1.05 home runs per game, the Panthers sit 20^th in the nation this week in the category. In the ACC, the squad holds the second spot. Pitt has blasted 45 long balls in 43 games.
Pitt has seen 11 different players hit a home run, including a team-leading 14 bombs by senior Giorgiana Zeremenko, who ranks 22^nd in the nation in home runs, while also ranking 21^st in the nation in home runs per game (0.33). Both lead the ACC.
Zeremenko became the all-time leader in the category at the B1G/ACC Challenge, notching her 35^th career home run. She was the leading home run hitter for Pitt the past two seasons, including 2016, when she set the single-season record with 17. Zeremenko is just three home runs away from tying her own record and four away from breaking it, as her 14 home runs in 2018 is tied for fourth overall in program history for a single season. She now has 44 in her career.

MYERS MAKING MOVES IN ACC PLAY

Seeing substantial playing time for the first time in her career, junior Taylor Myers has proved to be an asset both at the plate and in the outfield for the Panthers.
In conference play, Myers owns a .283 batting average. In 53 at-bats, she has produced 15 hits while adding four doubles and one long ball. The junior has also racked up six RBIs and nine runs. Myers has also been hit with a team-leading four pitches.
Defensively, she has seen her time in the outfield increase, playing all three positions. She owns 29 putouts in ACC play.
Overall, Myers is batting .236 with 21 hits and eight RBIs, while boasting 51 putouts, one assist and one error in the field to make for a .981 fielding percentage.

THE ZEREMENKO ZONE

Senior Giorgiana Zeremenko has been on a wrath at the plate in 2018 for the Panthers.
On the season, the Canonsburg, Pa., native is leading the team in multiple categories including average (.346), hits (44), doubles (10), home runs (14), slugging percentage (.756) and walks (25).
She boasts 13 multi-hit games, six multi-RBI games and has reached base in her last nine games.
In conference play, Zeremenko has been unstoppable, tallying 22 hits in 54 at-bats for a .407 average. She has recorded four doubles and seven home runs in 20 games, while producing 14 RBIs and 12 runs scored. Zeremenko has reached base in over 55 percent of her appearances.
She ranks 22^nd in the nation in home runs, while also ranking 21^st in the nation in home runs per game (0.33). Both lead the ACC.
With a team-leading 14 home runs, Zeremenko is just three away from tying her own single-season record of 17 long balls and four away from breaking it, as her 2018 total is tied for fourth overall in program history for a single season. She now has 45 in her career.
After cranking a home run to right center in her first at-bat against Duke, Zeremenko was intentionally walked four times in Pitt's doubleheader against the Blue Devils March 31. In the three game series, she finished 2-for-6 with five walks, two runs, one home run and one RBI.

TAYLOR AT THE PLATE

In her final season with the Panthers, senior McKayla Taylor continues her dominance at the plate.
Taylor has reached base in 23 out of the past 25 games and is hitting .254 on the season with 32 hits, 34 runs scored and 17 RBIs.
At Kent State, Taylor recorded two hits, including a three-run long ball. Her two hits propelled her into the top five of the record book in hits, as the senior now boasts 178 in her career. She is just two away from overthrowing Ashley Amistade in third place, who had 179 in her career from 2008-2011.
Against NC State, Taylor recorded her 128^th RBI, setting a new program record as she passed Holly Stevens, who set the record with 127 from 2010-13. The senior now has 137 in her career, making her third on the list for career RBI's all-time at Pitt.
Her record-breaking weekend saw her record six hits in 11 at-bats to hit .545 against the Wolfpack. The senior put up four RBIs and scored twice. Two of Taylor's hits were for extra bases as she blasted a three-run homer and an RBI-double in game two. On the weekend, she finished with a .909 slugging percentage and a .583 on-base percentage.
She was perfect in game two of the NC State series, reaching base in all four appearances at the plate. She went 3-for-3 with a homer, double and was hit by a pitch. Taylor also posted a team-leading four RBIs. She continued her dominance in game three, producing three singles in her first three at-bats. Defensively, Taylor finished the weekend at third perfectly with 13 assists and three putouts.

FRESHMAN STANDOUT

After starting the season out in the bottom of the batting order, freshman Hunter Levesque worked her way into the top half of the order after picking up her game.
Levesque ranks third on the team with a .306 batting average to go along with 33 hits, 21 runs scored and three home runs.
The freshman posted a .500 batting average in Pitt's series against Virginia while collecting three RBI's, including a walk-off single in game two.
Levesque reached base in nine straight games during a span from March 8 to March 23.

SOLAK SHOWING OFF

Junior Alexis Solak has proven to be one of the Panthers most consistent hitters at the plate.
The junior boasts nine games in which she has recorded multiple hits and has reached base in 17 of the last 22 games.
Solak is currently hitting .277 and ranks third on the team with 38 hits.
Against Georgia Tech, Solak went 5-for-10 to hit .500 on the weekend with three extra-base hits.
From Feb. 10 to Feb. 24, Solak reached the base paths in 10 straight games.

HARRIS' LAST HURRAH

Senior pitcher Kayla Harris looks to finish out her career in the circle for the Panthers on a high note.
Harris is currently 11-1 on the season and 7-0 in ACC play. Harris is currently tied with Laura Belardinelli (49) for second place in career wins.
In 24 total appearances, 19 of which she started, Harris has tossed nine complete games, including five shutouts. In 106.2 innings pitched, Harris has struck out 37, while giving up just 20 walks.
In conference play, Harris boasts a 2.17 ERA after 10 appearances and has held her opponents to a .249 average.
While facing No. 13/9 Florida State, the senior posted a complete game shutout after the Panthers earned a 1-0 extra-innings win. Pitt's victory snapped the Seminoles 36-game conference win streak, which was the fifth-longest streak in NCAA history. Harris' outstanding effort later earned her ACC Pitcher of the Week honors.
Against Virginia Tech, she tossed a complete-game shutout, giving up just four hits to the Hokies, while holding them scoreless. While facing 26 batters, she allowed just one walk.

DOMINANT DAWSON

Junior pitcher Sarah Dawson has been dominant in the circle for Pitt so far in 2018.
Dawson is currently 13-11 on the season. In a team leading 120.2 innings pitched, she has struck out 61 batters and owns a 2.61 ERA.
The junior appeared in two games against Virginia, including a complete-game win. In total, she pitched nine innings, allowing just two runs while striking out three.
In a phenomenal outing against Georgia Tech, Dawson earned the start in game one, where she finished with a complete-game win after surrendering just three hits and two runs while striking out a career-high tying seven batters. The junior retired 12 consecutive Yellow Jacket batters to open the game, adding five strikeouts through the first four frames. On the weekend, Dawson gave up just six hits and five runs in 12.1 innings pitched, striking out 10 batters, while walking just two.
In a win over Coastal Carolina, Dawson pitched a complete game and struck out a career-high tying seven batters.
At the B1G/ACC Challenge, the junior gave up just five earned runs in 13.1 innings pitched, while striking out 11 total batters. Four of those earned runs came in the opening game of the weekend, leaving Dawson almost perfect after that.
Against Illinois Feb. 18, Dawson started the game and pitched all but one frame in the five-inning game, as she and Brittany Knight combined to toss the team's first shutout victory, 9-0. Dawson struck out five on the day and walked just one batter against the Illini.

LOCAL LEADER

Local product Olivia Gray, who hails from Washington, Pa., just south of Pittsburgh and attended Trinity High School, has grown to become one of Pitt's top players.
Gray, who started all of 2017 at third base and the beginning of the 2018 slate, has since become the starting shortstop. She boasts a .312 career average with 124 hits.
This season, Gray is hitting .326 with 44 hits. She leads the team with 15 multi-hit games.
The junior was awarded ACC Player of the Week honors after a standout week in which Pitt won four games. In three starts against Virginia, she batted .500 with three extra base hits, good for a 1.000 slugging percentage, while collecting five RBIs.
Against the Hokies, Gray went 4-for-6 at the plate with three RBIs and a walk. She posted a .625 on base percentage and slugged .667. In the opening game of the series, Gray was perfect, going 3-for-3. She tallied every RBI for the Panthers to lead Pitt to a win. In game two, she reached base twice, producing a single and a walk. Defensively Gray completed five putouts.
Gray hit .353 in the team's opening weekend tournament boasting a team-leading six hits, including one triple and four runs scored.

UP NEXT

Pitt will play a midweek contest against Kent State Tuesday, May 1 at 6 p.m. at Vartabedian Field.

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Pitt Set For Doubleheader against Marshall

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sarah Dawson

Olivia Gray

Kayla Harris

Brittany Knight

Hunter Levesque

Taylor Myers

Alexis Solak

McKayla Taylor

Giorgiana Zeremenko

Pitt Set For Doubleheader against Marshall

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sarah Dawson

Olivia Gray

Kayla Harris

Brittany Knight

Hunter Levesque

Taylor Myers

Alexis Solak

McKayla Taylor

Giorgiana Zeremenko

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